Green Energy News | April 1, 2001

April 1, 2001 – Vol.6 No.1

ENERGIES... week of April 1, 2001

MAJOR OFFSHORE WIND - UK. In the first vital step to bring significant offshore wind power capacity to the UK, seabed leases for 13 different sites have been issued to 18 companies to develop 1000 -1500 megawatts of greenhouse-gas-free energy for the nation. With a total expected investment of $2.3 billion, as many as 540 turbines, each with a rated capacity of up to 3 megawatts, will be planted in the ocean bottom in groups of 30 as far as six miles off the island’s windy coastline. The barely-visible-from-shore turbines will generate enough power for more than 1,000,000 homes. Completion date for all projects is set for 2004-2005.

According to the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) offshore wind alone could meet the UK’s power needs three times over. Visit the BWEA at http://www.britishwindenergy.co.uk/ and a special UK offshore wind website at http://www.offshorewindfarms.co.uk/ .

MAJOR ONSHORE WIND - US. FPL Energy, Renewable Energy Systems (RES) and Cielo Wind Power will build the world’s second largest wind project on the oil fields of West Texas. To be located on King Mountain, the 278.3 megawatt project will have 214 turbines from Bonus Energy A/S, each rated at 1.3 megawatts. The project will supply enough power for more than 139,000 homes.

RES and Cielo will develop and build the project. FPL Energy will own and operate it once complete. FPL owns the largest single wind project in the world, the 300 megawatt Stateline Wind Generating Project now under construction. RES has 2000 megawatts of wind capacity worldwide either currently operating or now being developed. Cielo has completed one 107 turbine wind farm, and currently has another 242 turbine project under construction. Visit Bonus at http://www.bonus.dk/ , FPL at http://www.fplenergy.com and RES at http://www.res-ltd.com/ .

WINDWATCH. News reports confirm that the Japan Natural Energy Company has signed 15-year contracts with 20 companies to supply 25.5 million kilowatt hours per year of wind generated electricity. Among the companies buying power are Sony, Seiko Epson, and Toyota.

Other news wire reports indicate that NEG Micon and Vestas Wind Systems are now bidding on turbine contracts for a new wind farm to be built in Morocco. The order for turbines is expected to be worth around $200 million. Visit Vestas at http://www.vestas.com/ .

FUEL CELL BITS. Concerns about hydrogen safety and the lack of a hydrogen infrastructure have prompted Energy Ventures and SRE Controls to jointly develop a Direct Methanol Fuel Cell (DMFC) power system aimed at the industrial electric vehicle market. The first commercial prototype is expected in 2002.

Mosaic Energy, a joint venture of the Gas Technologies Institute (GTI) and NiSource, has announced that Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries (IHI) of Japan has acquired a 7 percent stake in the new company. IHI will combine Mosaic proton exchange membrane fuel cell stacks with its own fuel processing technology. IHI is looking at distributed generation markets in the Pacific Rim.

Ballard Power Systems will supply another $16.5 million worth of Mark 900 Fuel Cell Power Modules and support to Honda R&D Company Ltd.

Visit Nisource at http://www.nisource.com/ and Ballard at http://www.ballard.com/ .